With the innovative development “New Pointe Shoe Sole”, Sophia Lindner from act'ble  has won the first prize of the Purmundus Challenge. Winners of the purmundus challenge were honored at Formnext. Second prize went to Ramon Mañas, Odisei Music SL, for Travel Sax, while Jamie Cook, Henry Neilson, Theo Clarkes, Mark Brown, Jess Lewis, and George Jary of HEXR won third prize with their project “HEXR, the world's first 3D-printed custom-fitting bicycle helmet”.

The finalists of this year's purmundus challenge, which took place in 2021 under the motto “Innovation in Progress”, were presented with their prizes during Formnext. The award-winning developments range from ballet shoes to 3D-printed musical instruments, bicycle helmets, heat exchangers and brake calipers.

Act'ble is a young company that has collaborated with top athletes to develop a new pointe shoe for classical ballet and contemporary dance. The product is said to last five times longer than traditional pointe shoes and also drastically reduce physical pain. The patented concept of a 3D-printed sole combined with the upper creates new possibilities for movement and individual artistic expression.

Designed and manufactured in Barcelona, the Travel Sax is the smallest and lightest electronic saxophone in the world. The latest 3D printing technologies are used in the production of the saxophone, which is already played by twelve hundred customers worldwide. The MIDI controller can work with both smartphone and PC. The position of the keys is modeled according to a conventional saxophone, and the volume is regulated by the pressure of breath. The electronic saxophone can also be used to practice without disturbing neighbors.

HEXR, is the world's first custom-fit 3D-printed bicycle helmet, according to its developers. The design, made of honeycomb structures, combines comfort and safety. When the helmet is created, the head is scanned and measured using the specially developed app. The custom-fit design is then automatically generated on the server. The PA11-based material is made of one hundred percent castor oil. The inner honeycomb structures and the smaller helmet components are 3D printed. The helmet is not only made to measure, but also personalized with the customer's engraving.

In addition, the following special awards were presented at Formnext: The Special Mention was awarded to Dr Myriam Lingg, Lukas Schiller and Alec Chevrot (macu4 AG) for their Macu4 Forearm Prosthetics – breathable and customized prostheses for the forearm. The Innovation Prize was awarded to Pablo Valdivia y Alvarado, Narasimha Boddeti, Tien Van Truong, Vincent S. Joseph, Thileepan Stalin, Theo Calais, Shien Yang Lee and Martin L. Dunn (Bio-inspired Robotics and Design Laboratory – Singapore University of Technology and Design, Washington State University, University of Colorado Denver) for the project “Bespoke 3D Printed Soft Robots”. The Public Choice Award went to Roberto Trunfio and his 3D printed juicer called Delijuice, which was made with filament produced from processed citrus waste.

The 2021 Altair Simulation Driven Design Award went to Tommaso Tirelli, Aidro - Desktop Metal Company, and his Toucan Beak – a solution for efficient, 3D printed lightweight heat exchangers. Aschraf Danun, Michael Wehrli, Remo Elmiger, Ole Müller, Tiago Ogris, Tom Felder and Prof Mirko Meboldt from ETH Zurich – Product Development Group Zurich were awarded the Newcomer Prize for the development of a 3D-printed brake caliper including function integration.

In a festive award ceremony on Thursday in the week of the Formnext trade fair, the winners received the Purmundus Challenge trophy as well as prizes with a total value of 30,000 euros.